Philippians 4:21 Greet all God's people in Christ Jesus. The brothers and sister who are with us send greetings. 22 All God's people here send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar's household. 23 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit Amen.
Family greeting family. I can almost imagine them Face-Timing and everyone around there peeking their heads in to say "hi"... 'we love you'... 'we miss you guys'... except, ya know, on parchment.
Paul has shared a lot in this letter with the people he loves, cares for and prays for. He tells them to live and love with wisdom and discernment. He encourages their unity and humility of mind so that Christ will be honored in the their lives. Their mentor tells them to walk worthy, to serve humbly and how to find peace during chaos through prayer. That's what mattered to him. His imprisonment didn't matter. His holy heritage didn't matter. How much stuff he had or lacked didn't matter. What mattered most is that they live at their best for the One who gave Himself for them.
He doesn't separate them by age, by social standing or by levels of ministry position. He addresses them as family... whether the guards who held him, or the bickering babes, Caesar, or his 'son' Timothy. They are brothers and sisters with one Father. One body. One goal. One mission. One focus. He has shown them how to live a life that brings glory to their Savior regardless of their needs, their circumstances, or their persecution.
Then he 'signs off', with a last 'goodbye for now' from jail. He asks that the grace of the Lord Jesus to be with their spirit. A typical closing for Paul. "Grace"... the eternal, internal reminder of what we deserved and what we were given instead. For all that he knew, it seemed Paul was consumed by that particular gift. I pray that we would be consumed with that as well.